Improvement in sewing-machines



, v 2 Sheets-Shet 1'. V

G. W. S TEDMAN.

I SewingMachine,

N o.-12,573. j 1 Patented March 20, 1855;

V UNITED; STATES t one. w. STEDMAN, on

PATENT O FICE.

VIENNA, NEW JERSEY,

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specif cation forming part of Letters Patent No. 12.5 73, dated March20, 1355 To all whom/it may concern 7 Be it known that -I,- G. W.STEDMAN, of Vienna, in the county of \Varren and State of NewJersey,have invented a new and Im-; proved Sewing-Machine; and Ido'hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescriptionthereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this: specification- F'gure 1 being a side elevation of'my improved sewing-machine; Fig. 2, an endeleva- ,tion; Fig. 3, a topview of a portion detached; Fig.4, an elevation of a portion detached,

showing'a-different position ofth e needle and other parts; Fig, 5, atopviewof certain parts detached in ,the same position; Fig. 6, asec- :tionof a portion detached.

' Like, letters designate corresponding part in the several figures.

The naturepf my invention consists first, in feeding the cloth alongbymeansof the nee dl acting as a lever against it over a fulcrum, theneedle-carrier being driven for the purpose with a 'cra'nk motion or itsequivalent, while the length 'of stitch is regulatedby the length of theSlot-in which the needle is allowed to vibrateat the fulcru'nn'secondly,in

forming the stitch, in connection with'w the needle, by means of'afingerhaving a reciprocat- ,ing inotion nearly at rightangles' to thatof' the needle, and-provided with a beak-like extremity for enteringbetween the thread and needle, and with awedgews'haped shoulder on oneside,'in. combination witha slightretaining-spring, tor-forming a loopthrough which the needle passes inv its turn, the whole be ing arrangedsubstantially as hereinafter set forth.

, The 'i'ranreA 'inay beof anydiniensionsior" design for conyenienceonto suit the fancy. I make use of a single, thread,.a, forming a'chain-stitch therewith. It is taken from a spool, a,'situated in someconvenient-place,

and passes thence through ade'vice-for regu lating its tension. This issimply a standard or-vrod, 5, through which the. thread passes.

'overa shoulderl thereon, A,r ing,;' b, around said standard, isrpressedd'QWIlllPOll its shoulder by tho i 'action ofa .coiled spring, c, andithusipinches the thread. The force of press-,1

ureisregulated by screwing up or dow n' a nut, 7,, against said coiledspring. By this regu- "the carrier by means of a binding-head, g,

.through which the needle is inserted, and

which is proyidedwitha screw-shank passing. through the carrier, and,being held by a nut, thereby presses the needle into a groove in s'aidcarrier. This head bears only at the shoulders uu, "Fig. '6, which pressthe needle against the carrier itself, 'and not over the hole throughwhich the shank passes. By this device no strain comes upon the needleto breakj" it. The thread ,passes down through eyes in the wristf'and-binding-head g, and is finally, ut through an eye near the pointof the neele in.'the usual manner. The needle moves iii-a slot, t,formed in the cloth-holder N, and

also in a-slot, Z,- in the supporting-plate L, 1 The cloth 8 is insertedbeneath said cloth-holder;

which is pressed down upon the'supportingplate by a spring, P, ,ofsufiieient strength. to

retain the cloth in place, but to allow i-ttolbe fed forward .by theneedle.- This is done in the following manner: The crank .11 revolves..'i'n the-directioni'ndicated bythe'arrow'in Fig.

2-, where the needle is represented as descending through the cloth. -Inthis position the needlefi's p essed forward to the left-hand ex Itremity-of t c slot i,'1 ig. 4i, b'ya slight spring, j. I As the crankdescends and travels toward the right hand, the needles brought towaulthe other 'end of the slot; till j it reaches the right "ei rtremityatt, as seen in Fig, 4, which represents the cloth supporter and holderas. I cut-in the plane jx' ,wyFig. The nas the" crank f scends-and;tends farther i 'O'the' right, said end tof'the slotfacts asafixedfulcrumand compels the lower endofthe'needlwto move toward the "left,and'consequently to "niove'the 'cloth orother. material forwizard; Thelength ofstitch is regulated byan-eccentric,.k,-(or-.

its equivalent,) by turning which on its' pivot.

- t.he sloti is lengthened or shortened When ing shaft, 0, which has avibratory motion communicated to it by means of a connectingrod, E,passing from a crank-pin on the driv= ingpulley D to an arm, (i, on itsother end. The parts are of course so proportioned and arranged as togive the desired extent of reciprocating motion to the finger M, whichis bent into the form of an arc concentric with the axis of its motion,and is secured to its arm I by a binding-head, 0, and nut 1-, asrepresent ed, or by any other suitable means. It is evident that thefinger may have, a rectilinear reciproeatin g motion, instead of acircular mo'- tion, if desired, and that any other convenient device maybe adopted to give the motion.- The motion is so timed as to-reeede whenthe needle is descending, as indicated 'by arrows in Fig. 2, and toadvance when the needle is ascending, as indicated in like manner in Fi4. The end m, whichI denominate the beak is flattened vertically toabout half the'thiekness of the rod,-as seen in Figs. 1 and 5, and ispointed so as to enter between the nee? die, by the'side of which itmoves in contact, or nearly so, and the thread, as shown in Figs. 4 and5; hence when the rod or finger advances-it takes the thread and forms aloop therewith. At some distance from theextreinity of said beak a sortof enlargement or shoulder, a, is formed on the needle side of thefinger. This shonlder is made wedgeshaped or receding at the top, androunded so that the needle will be free to pass do w n avhile the fingeris receding without coming in con-' tact, and yet reach below the beakbefore it recedes entirely back therefrom. Tlie l'o1'1u of the shoulderand beak can be bestunderstood by inspecting the drawings. A. slightspring, 1), presses up against the lower side of the finger, touching itunder the shoulder a,-

and thence curving downward to'its extrelnitvy It will be observed th ethe main of the moments when the loops .are forming, and straightens itagain when the stitch is to be closed, v 1-,.

All the parts of the machine are so arranged enabling it to be observedif anything should get out of order.-

secure by Letters Patent, is? v 1.. Feeding the cloth long 'by means ofthe needle acting as a lever against it, over a fulcrum, t,'theneedle-carrier being .driven, for the purpose, with a erankmotion, orits equivalent, substantially as herein set forth.

the needle, regulating the length of stitch by the combined action of-the slot 0, of adjustablc length, and-the slight spring or its equivdayof January, v

" O. l. STEDMlAN'.

. GE Witnesses:

J; S. BROWN,

1e tension of the crank H allows the thread" to be slack at the as to beopen to the view ,of the operator, thus VVhat I claim as my invention,and desire to 2. In connection with the above'in'otion of alent, forthrowing the needle away from the proved sewing-machine signed, by methis 11th

